My Love Letter to Doctor Who

For the first time I haven’t been looking forward to Doctor Who. Series 10 hasn’t particularly been appealing to me and neither has it to most the fandom. Yet most of us have always stuck with our favourite show. No matter what we may have disagreed on we have never strayed from this strange programme on Saturday nights. Perhaps it’s because we know it always has the opportunity to regenerate and change for the better. There’s always something new with Doctor Who we can’t help but love. No matter how much I disagree or rant with the show I will always be that obsessive nerd that will never stop watching. So here is my love letter to Doctor Who:

Dear Doctor Who,

There’s not many things that sit in my childhood memories as much as you do. In fact, you were one of my earliest memories. I remember being in my old house I have vivid memories about. I know you’ve been in my life for a long time if it resonates with my first home. Sadly, I can’t remember seeing you. That moment when you grabbed Rose’s hand and told her to run has simply faded away. Sorry, that’s kind of down to me. I’ve watched episodes of Doctor Who so many times the original memory has mostly been forgotten. All that is left is me walking into the living room at 5 years old to find Doctor Who about to start. To be slightly dramatic, my life changed when I entered that room. The young girl who was being introduced to Disney princesses and all things considered girly had been transformed into an unsociable nerd. Thank you!

Doctor Who really enriched my childhood. I remember me and my sister obsessing about this programme and coming up with theories of the show and what could happen next. My dad used to terrify us by saying “Are you my mummy” whilst running away terrified around the house. I even wrote my own stories of the Doctor and his travels that I still own and laugh at how terrible they are. My childhood mainly consisted of Battles in Time, Doctor Who Annuals and the Attack of the Graske game online (that we all can admit we still play). I remember always watching Doctor Who before and after the school. It was a way to put my minds of things and use the time wisely before I had to go. Boxsets of Doctor Who would always be On Demand on my TV which I would constantly watch over and over again. I still annoy my sister saying the words in sync as I watch Doctor Who from so many repeated watches that have been engraved in my memory.

I miss the times when Doctor Who was popular at the beginning of its revival. When playing Doctor Who is the playground I always used to try to be Rose Tyler (which know growing up I would say that was a bad decision). The show really sparked my imagination as a child. I wouldn’t miss any episode of Doctor Who not matter what. One time I was away from home and was at a family’s friend’s house, me and my sister urged our friend to watch Doctor Who and bragged how great it was. Unfortunately, the episode on that night was Love and Monsters. That was the day of my first Doctor Who rant.

Doctor Who in people’s childhoods are most related to scaring you. Back in 2007 I will never forget watching Blink for the first time. I was never truly terrified from Doctor Who until that episode. The Weeping Angels absolutely terrified me and couldn’t sleep for nights after watching the episode. Series 3 is a series I look very fondly over and one I remember most. The mystery behind Vote Saxon and my dad mentioning a villain called The Master he used to watch when he was young was still all a mystery to me. The mythology unfolding in the show really fascinated me especially the Time War. Whenever The Doctor would mention the Time War I always wanted to know what it was like and who the Time Lords were. I really miss that mystery of the show.

One of my greatest childhood memories was going to Doctor Who Exhibition in London. At first I didn’t know this as it was intended to be a surprise. When walking down the streets of London I suddenly saw a Police Box in front of me in Earl’s Court. I remember being so excited to see a Police Box in real life and being so surprised that one was sitting there in the Central of London like this fantasy world was seeping into reality. When visiting the Exhibition, I remember been amazed being surrounded by so much of the show I adored.

Without a doubt Doctor Who is the reason I want to go into the creative industry. I can’t imagine doing anything else. Doctor Who has even pushed me to do things I never thought I would do like starting my own YouTube Channel which I thought I would never have the confidence to do. I also started writing and even became part of the team for Gallifrey Archive which is so awesome to be a part of. I will always be grateful for this show.

But what’s the reason to why I love Doctor Who? Doctor Who is one of the maddest ideas for a TV show. You can’t imagine someone coming up with such a genius yet perfectly mad of an idea for TV. An alien with two hearts who can change his face flying a Police Box that is a time machine that is bigger on the inside through time and space. The show is so limitless to what it can do and is the perfect TV show to renew itself and keep going for over 50 years. Every episode if different and can be told in so many ways if that’s TV, comics, audio, books etc. The mystery and mythology behind the show is so epic and intriguing with always something new around the corner.

Honestly, I don’t know what I would be without the show. Doctor Who defines most of who I am. In reality I’m a very shy person yet when Doctor Who is mentioned I come out my shell and won’t be able to shut up about it. Doctor Who has been there in the darkest times and I really don’t know what I would do without it during times like that. It was undoubtedly the thing I relied most on which I can’t thank you enough for.

One of the things I love most about loving Doctor Who is the community along with it. Not matter what age you are, you can talk to anyone about Doctor Who and felt indifferent to each other. I have made many friends from the show who have very different and similar ages to me. I’ve even met people from the YouTube community at the Doctor Who Festival which was just as mind blowing as seeing the cast. Doctor Who has really made feel like part of something.

To conclude this letter, I just want to say again thanks to Doctor Who for being the greatest TV show throughout the 11 years of my life. No matter how much you annoy me or make me go on rants about certain episodes, just know that I think you’re the best show on Earth no matter what episodes or series annoy me. Thanks for being my childhood hero who made me an obsessive nerd. Thank you.